


Well, here you are

by Friendlylycanthrope



Series: Let's Talk About It [13]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Adjustment Period, Angella tries to be a good mom to these soldiers she keeps accidentally adopting, Gen, sorry for the late update, then learns that magicats have sensitive tummies., we are living in a post she ra world inat wild?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:13:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24262639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Friendlylycanthrope/pseuds/Friendlylycanthrope
Summary: Just some short things strung together to show the adjustment period now that Catra will be living in Bright Moon. No way THAT can go wrong!
Relationships: Glimmer/Adora
Series: Let's Talk About It [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1714624
Comments: 5
Kudos: 86





	Well, here you are

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry I didn't keep my schedule. To be fair, I haven't stopped thinking about season five since it came out. IT all just... it hits different, you know? Plus I wasn't sure if anyone would really care about checking on this since, yknow, season five came out. I mean hot damn, that was something, huh?
> 
> So this is a few short things that I put together to make up for the lack of content lately. Hopefully after this we should be back on schedule with daily updates.

**THE DEAL**

  
  
  


The tension in the room could have been cut with a butterknife. Minutes passed where nothing was spoken. One could hear a pin drop. The patches of light on the wall had shifted positions by visible inches across the room. 

But nobody would dare be the first one to say anything. Where would they even start? This was turning into less of a power play and more of a major inconvenience. 

Angella sat at her usual spot at the war table. Catra sat directly across from her.

They stared down a lot at first. When that became too much, they would peer at the nails. Readjust their seating. Clear their throat slightly. At least thirty two minutes passed in this manner. The guard detail of the room would later talk about how pathetic it was. They were talking about it right now, as the standoff had lasted long enough that the shift changed in the hall, and the detail there was already talking about it in the training room. Renee heard the rumors. She knew it was not her place, and she usually never entertained the idea of petty gossip.

She knew that Adora was still in recovery in the infirmary, with Glimmer on watch over her rest. Maybe if she was there, this whole thing could get sorted. But just the two of them? They were both way too stubborn. She pressed the gossipers for details like they were doing a formal report. Then she went up to the war room herself.

Catra was feeling like she was starting to get drowsy, and that certainly wasn’t allowed. It would ruin her image. Thankfully and unthankfully, this moment, 38 minutes into the power game, General Renee Abner burst into the room, like an explosion upon a room of utter silence. 

“General!” Angella said to cover up how surprised she became. “Er, do you have something to report?”

“Yeah I got something to report your majesty. Your stare down with the ex-horde leader has officially gone from power move to just being petty and stubborn. Grow up and talk to each other.”

Angella turned bright red, and Catra’s eyebrows almost went up off her head. 

“General! This is-- I--”

Abner actually relaxed her pose so she was less attacking, more at attention as usual. 

“I’ll take care of writing the reprimandatory report myself for being out of line, ma’am. But just talk to each other before nightfall.” 

Angella and Catra glanced at each other, a brief moment of camaraderie between them as soon as the general came in and started tearing into each other. They looked back at the General again curiously. She sighed, and removed her helmet.

“Okay, I’ll start. Catra.” The soldier stiffened in her seat as though she were called by a commanding officer. “So you’re done with the horde, that’s been clear for a while now. Are you prepared to join the rebellion?”

Catra had to swallow and clear her throat before she could speak (she had been sitting here for a while now). 

“I don’t want to join any more teams. I want to take down Hordak.” Abner didn’t speak, so Catra was urged to continue. “Look I can help you guys, I know the horde. But I’m not here to make any friends.”

“And Angella.” Now it was the Queen’s turn to stiffen in her seat, sitting up straighter, despite outranking her. “What restrictions and privileges are you willing to offer this rogue soldier?”

“Abner I will remind you again not to meddle with official political matters.” She mumbled. Abner raised an eyebrow challengingly. “I can offer you the title of Lieutenant. We can give you a room, but you will be monitored until we can be assured of your intentions.”

“Catra, do you accept these terms.”

“No. Appoint me to General. You can give me a room but I’ll barely use it. I don’t need to be under house arrest, that only makes me more dodgy.”

“Your Highness?”

“Okay, we get it, Abner! Thank you. Fine, I accept these terms. And maybe Glimmer can talk you into therapy like she did with Adora.” She stood up and took a calm walk towards the door.

“I know you came here for Adora. I know that you two have had a colorful past. And I know that Glimmer trusts you. Just like she did with Adora when she first came here. And I will tell you what I told Adora.

“My daughter trusts you, and because I greatly love my daughter, I have decided to give you the benefit of the doubt. Do not betray that trust.”

As she walked by Abner, she stopped inches in front of her general of the guards face. She eyed her up and down. 

“General...” was all she said, very quietly. The two left the room, leaving Abner alone. 

“Ya oughta make me queen!” She called teasingly after them. 

  
  
  


**CATCHING UP**

  
  
  


Catra did her best to stay out of the way. They gave her an enormous lavish room and she got the sense that there was suspicion around the staff, and she was getting some strong side eye from a dark skinned soldier with a scar across her nose, the same one who brazenly interrupted her negotiations with the Queen earlier. But mainly, she tried to keep away from the best friend squad out of trepidation. She knew exactly what to expect: the archer would try to befriend her way too hard and get all up in her business, the princess would be stern about staying on best behavior, and then there was Adora. And Adora would only try to keep apologizing and trying to protect her, which is the last thing Catra wanted. 

So instead, Catra amused herself by wandering around the castle, looking at the murals that held their history, climbing around the places that she shouldn’t be in, and just watching. There was that one guard with the scar kept trying to corner Catra--probably to predictably threaten her life--but Catra was too good at evading her and shaking her tail to ever be caught. 

There was one nice place she found, it was a great conservatory garden with a ceiling made entirely of stained glass mosaics. It was always warm and bright, and filled with a mixture of earthy and floral aromas, making it a perfect napping location. 

She should have known that Adora would find her first. After all, it was the number one place to rest, she should have guessed that Adora would know her well enough to figure out where that would be. 

“Catra!” She called up to the vines and branches. “Catra I know you’re up there! Come on, let’s just talk.” 

Catra also knew that there was no point arguing the inevitable with Adora, she could be as stubborn as a princess sometimes. So she yawned while she stretched out all her limbs, and then looked down.

“Hey Adora~” She draped her legs lazily over the side of the branches of the yew tree she was previously dozing in. “Feeling better?”

Adora smiled. 

“Thanks to you. Can you come down so we can talk?” Catra was still too lazy to do her regular somersault down, so she stalked down the trunk with care until she could jump to the ground. She swung her tail around languidly as she stretched her back.

“I had a feeling you would want to talk. Which is why I’ve been putting it off.”

Adora looked sympathetic at that, and rubbed the back of her neck.

“I had a feeling you would put it off. You’ve uh, cut your hair?” Catra kept forgetting about that. It had been a while with this new style now, already a year and a half, and it was even starting to grow back little by little. She reached up self-consciously and pushed a lock out of her face. 

“Yeah, uh. It helped with not getting caught.”

“You don’t have to worry here, you’re in good care. Unless-- have you had The Talk with Renee yet?”

“I’m guessing that’s the guard with the scar that keeps stalking me into a corner?” Adora laughed.

“Yeah, she gave me a run down when I got here too. Threatened to have me killed if I stepped out of line... And also again when I started dating Glimmer.”

“Really?” Catra looked actually surprised. “You?”

“Well, yeah. I was a horde officer who they just knew about after like a day. Of course they didn’t trust me.” Catra put her hands on her hips and looked away thoughtfully. 

“I guess I always thought that just because you had a magical destiny sword, everyone loved you right away.” 

They both began walking around the garden together slowly. 

“No, everyone was always expecting me to be up to something. It didn’t help that I had no idea what life outside the horde was like, and kept embarrassing myself every time there was a new food or tradition or etiquette. At one point I basically made a huge fool of myself in front of the queen because I thought that me and Glimmer were married.” Adora’s face turned red in a mixture of discomfort from the memory, and from being smitten with Glimmer. 

“So you and the princess, that’s been going on for a while now?” Catra looked at everything around them except Adora.

“Right after I gave you the sword, I guess.” Some silence passed again where Adora panicked and Catra seemed deep in thought. “I mean, is that okay? Like I know that I don’t need your permission, but there was some unresolved, uh, tension, about the whole um,”

Catra laughed at how flustered Adora got, making a high pitched squeaking sound. 

“Oh I think I’ll manage just fine.”

Catra leaned down to smell a pot of green leaves. It was intoxicating, and made her mouth water. She inhaled deeply and her eyes widened at the sweet aroma. She would have to remember this one for later, to find out what it was. Catra could feel Adora’s eyes on her back, burning with questions. 

“Look, Adora. It doesn’t have to be weird.” Catra turned back around. “I’m not made of glass, you don’t have to worry about protecting my feelings. Maybe we can both move on from it as friends or allies or something.”

“I know, I know that. But I can’t stop worrying about you. I can’t help it.” 

Catra thought about what Razz said. Destiny, and love, and creating and destroying. She had no idea if Adora was still in love with her after everything that had happened in the last few months and years since she confessed in the jungle, but it would make perfect sense for her to have moved on. A lot had changed.

“Hey, there’s a meeting tomorrow. You should come. We could use your intel.” Adora said as she fumbled for a subject change. Catra rolled her eyes. 

“I told you already, I’m not into all this rebellion stuff. I’m just here to keep you under control.” Adora crossed her arms and grinned. 

“I would say that sounds like a lame excuse, but you did save my life like three times within forty-eight hours.” 

Catra ran a hand through her hair.

“I guess your alliance could use all the help you can get, you’ve been at a standstill for months now against the horde. Plus, can’t lie, I really want to kick Hordak’s ass.”

“Okay. Okay, so, yes! Good. Um. I will tell Renee to back off a bit if you go talk to her. I’ll see you for dinner?”

“Sure thing, princess.”

  
  
  


***

  
  
  


It went exactly as any of them could have expected. Suspicion, insults, skepticism, nobody trusted the horde soldier. But the best friend squad all vouched for her, and the Queen remained diplomatically neutral. 

“She hasn’t been with the horde for a year now. Not only that, she’s been helping to fight against them and defend the innocents that are in the way.” Bow claimed. “We’ve all seen the reports and been grateful for it.”

“Not to mention she saved Adora’s life on multiple occasions.” Glimmer added. 

“Understood.” Said Netossa. “However, it may take a while to gain her trust.”

“True, she did something to attack each of our kingdoms, and only seemed to defend the townships of Brightmoon.” Mermista added. 

“Well I can’t travel openly when the horde is hunting me down, sorry for the inconvenience.” Catra said while rolling her eyes. 

“I believe that if her intentions are true, she deserves another chance.” Perfuma said. “Even if she’s prickly on the outside, all cacti blossom with beautiful flowers.”

“It’s cactuses.” Frosta said. 

“No you’re both wrong, it’s cactapodi.” Spinnerella added. 

“No you’re thinking of octopodi, the plural of octopus.” Mermista corrected. 

“Holy hell, is this why you guys never get anything done?” Catra said. 

The table went back and forth in a similar manner for at least an hour before they were able to discuss important matters.

“Can we please turn our attention to the matter that we were called to discuss today?” Adora yelled over the commotion. “There are people in danger, and every moment we waste bickering puts them in danger.” She pressed on the table and made a certain hand gesture in order to bring up the battle map. A three dimensional light apparition appeared before them, depicting a cliff range by the sea, with speckles of islands and archipelagos dotting the shore.

“Adora is right. There is no time to lose.” Angella agreed, studying over the map, with special attention to the horde insignia. “The horde is preparing for battle on the fields of Alamon.”

“I have an armada of troops at the ready to the West.” General Abner declared. 

“We should move fast, we’re not sure how much time we have left before they make a move on the mines.” Adora agreed. “We’ll have to move first thing in the morning.”

“Are you stupid?” Catra said. The whole table turned to her. None seemed to pick up on what she was putting down. “If you fight first thing in the morning, you’re dead.”

“Is that a threat?” Mermista said, monotone, her eyes narrowing. Catra just pointed to the map. 

“It’s common sense, princess. If you attack from the East in the morning, you’ll have the day moon in your eyes  _ and _ be blinded by the albedo coming off from the ocean. Every soldier would be fighting blindly. There’s no way you could win that.”

Silence fell over the war room for a moment as the info sank in. 

“Are you suggesting we don’t attack, and wait until it is too late?” Spinnerella started. 

“No no, she’s right. I should have seen that.” Abner admitted. “We can circle around and make a naval attack so that they will be facing the day moon.” Catra slapped Adora upside the head. 

“Did you not pay any attention in tactical geography!” Catra chastised. “We were in the same class, you should have seen that!”

“You’re right, I just got carried away!” Adora defended. She smiled playfully, but her eyes were worried. 

Of course. Adora knew everything she had ever been taught in school lessons, but she forgot all tactics and sacrificed everything as soon as it came down to the line and people were in danger. All training went out the window as soon as there was a job that needed to be done. This is why she was here, to make sure that Adora didn’t do something stupid and get hurt. 

Catra sighed and tried to clear her mind so that she could concentrate better. As such, she took out her knife and a fresh block of wood. She only made about one chip in it before she realized that the princesses were staring at her. Not only that, but holding a knife may have made her look threatening. Either that, or doing a fine craft would look like weakness? Catra was frozen in the same confusion for a moment as she met the eyes of the princesses around her.

“Uh this isn’t, this isn’t what it looks like?”

“It looks like you’re whittling.” Glimmer said.

“Okay fine, it’s what it looks like.” Catra conceded. “It helps me think.”

“Irrelevant. We shall continue the briefing.” The Queen said. Catra could swear that she could almost see the slightest hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth. 

  
  
  
  
  


**CAT TUMMY ACHE**

  
  
  
  


“Woah slow down everybody shut up,” Catra said in a monotone voice, but she leaned forward in her seat, both hands palm down on the table in front of her. Her tail lashed as her pupils grew in size the more she smelled the plate in front of her. 

It hadn’t been very long now, but Catra was getting comfortable here. There seemed to be an idea that Catra was a thorn in the side of these stuffy up-tight royal types that would hang around the castle. And the people she had helped knew that they could never get rid of her. Adora would never allow it, couldn’t lose her again. The whole best friend squad defended her, as did the Queen on occasion. 

Catra relished in pushing the bonds of this relationship as far as she could. It was all she knew how to do. And she was learning a lot here in the castle. 

Like, for example, what real food was. 

“What the flying heck is this,”

Let’s face it, Razz was doing fine on her own in the woods, but she lacked a certain sense of refinement that more than once ended up with Catra sick all night. And the horde? Forget about it. But the stuffy up-tight royal types seemed to know a thing or two about making good food. 

Which is why Catra sniffed the food at first, then inhaled deeply at its sweet, oily aroma. Her ears twitched as she leaned forward in anticipation. This new food looked and smelled  _ heavenly _ . It was hard to please Catra, but so far this food was checking all of her boxes. It was some sort of uneven block that was totally concealed by a crumbly crispy layer of crumbs aside vegetables and topped in a white gravy sauce. 

“It’s fish,” Glimmer said. She seemed uninterested and didn’t seem to notice or care about how ecstatic Catra was getting. “Animals that live in water.”

“I know wha a fish ish!” Catra said offended. It was hard because her drooling mouth was full of the fish fillet, and she struggled to shove more in. She knew about fish, but thought that they were smelly and slimy and disgusting. Were they all talking about the same fish?

“Please use a fork.” Angella sighed from the head of the table. At her right, Glimmer followed by Bow. On her left, Adora and then Catra. It didn’t take long for Catra to inhale her food much to the chagrin of the royal majesty. 

“Catra don’t choke.” Adora said without looking up from her own plate that she was working on. It was with a practised ease that she knew how to deal with Catra. 

“You like fish?” Bow tried to at least throw Catra a proverbial bone to let her enter the conversation with a decent sense of decency intact. Unfortunately, Catra had quickly cleared her plate. 

“Is there any more?” Catra’s eyes were shining like they had never seen before. She was pleading, begging with every ounce of restraint. Because for the first time in her short time her, there was something she actually enjoyed about being here with all the fanciness, dangled so close, right in front of her, yet just out of reach, and the mortality of her situation was sinking in. Admittedly it was hard to resist her big round eyes, framed by a halo of freckles and fuzzy orange fur.

Angella leaned back in her seat. The corners of her mouth twitched almost upwards softly. Sure, Catra was a thorn in her side. But her behavior only made her realize that Glimmer was, by comparison, far from the problem child she thought the princess to be. Having Catra around was a challenge, perhaps a project. But despite it all, she was perfect the way she was. 

“Not until you’ve had your vegetables, young lady.” She decreed calmly.

At this, Catra’s entire demeanor changed like a flipped switch. She groaned and glared at the green stalks on her plate, untouched. For the first time, she picked up her fork and poked the vegetables with obvious detest. 

“Uuuuggghh,” She complained. “I can’t do that. Sorry.” But from her tone, she wasn’t sorry. It was exactly as transparent as she intended it to be. Bow gasped as Angella raised an eyebrow at the challenge. 

“Catra, I will remind you that you are living under my roof and as such, will follow my orders.”

“But--!”

“No buts!” Angella said sternly, her brow creasing. “You will eat healthy here, and that includes vegetables. Don’t be childish.” 

Catra groaned again and sank in her seat. Poor Adora was sweating and on the verge of shaking in fear. She still had much to learn from Angella about parenting and “die-it” (which could only sound bad to her) but she had a feeling that Catra would prefer to stay in Bright Moon rather than incur the Queen’s wrath. To her credit, Catra took to eating the vegetables as slowly and miserably as she could possibly muster. She bemoaned the entire process, eating small nibbles at a snail's pace with disgust. 

She was still moaning as though in terrible pain when she finished her plate. Angella allowed her to leave the table-- Glimmer, Bow and Adora had already finished and left to the living room-- and she continued to moan when she joined them. 

Angella noticed that Adora liked to read and learn all that she could get her hands on soon after she came to Bright Moon. So, to spend some time doing an activity together (one of the tips in Abner’s books about raising troubled or traumatized children that she had lent her after the baking sheet mystery), she liked to join Adora in some reading after dinner as they sat quietly together. After a few weeks, it became a routine, and after a few months it was a family tradition to read together at the end of the day. Since they had started doing so, they had all been sleeping a little better, and their minds were all the sharper. It was just as important now as it was years ago to spend time doing a shared activity in quiet peace, to help Adora gain a sense of trust and safety from her new guardian (another tip from the books that Angella had borrowed). 

Although it was hard to focus on reading when Catra insisted on laying on her side in the fetal position on the floor, moaning in pain. When Angella had to start the same page over for the tenth time, she quietly sighed and pinched her brows. Catra could not be ignored any longer. 

“Catra, honestly, there’s no use milking this any further.” She resigned. Adora shut her book and looked at Catra on the floor by the bay window that led to a balcony. 

“I know it’s not a fresh gray ration bar but come on, it’s not that bad.” She tried to reason. “What is it that’s actually bothering you?”

Catra lurched onto her hands and knees with her tail straight up and her head hanging down, as she griped about in pain. Her claws were out and her fur was all fluffed up in alertness.

“Uugrrghh, just shut up, it’s just a stomach ache,” She groaned at the carpet. 

“You’re sure it’s not because you like to feel like you’re in control?” Bow asked, stepping over to her. He hesitated to reach out to her, knowing how jumpy she could be with unexpected touches. Angella always liked having Bow around, he was a clever, insightful young man. She learned more from him than her books when it came to dealing with his peers, ever since he and Glimmer had become friends. 

“Shut--” Catra started her retort, then groaned as though struck by another pang of pain in her stomach. Everyone rolled their eyes except for Adora, who started to notice the hair on Catra’s neck and tail (and presumably her back, which was covered) start to rise and fall rapidly with each breath. She breathed extremely rapidly and harshly, each exhale causing her fur to rise and each inhale smoothing it down. Adora was still shocked at how much she knew about Catra after all their time apart, at how little had changed even though they had changed so much. Adora still saw those old signs and knew exactly what was coming like an old instinct. As if on cue, Catra’s eyes widened and her pupils narrowed. Adora was already on her feet rushing to the hunched over feline, scooped her up on her shoulders, and brought her to the window. She placed her down and opened the glass just in time for Catra to hack into the bushes outside. Adora leaned her butt against the windowsill to avoid the sight. 

It was rare that Catra ever got sick in the horde. Although when she did, it was usually her own fault for eating something that she wasn’t supposed to, something that  _ wasn’t _ a ration bar. And in true horde cadet style, Adora took the role of hiding her best friend from Shadow Weaver and their drill sergeant until it all blew over, just like Catra had done countless times for Adora. True, they were older, taller, more muscled, and they had lead very different lives into adulthood, and much had changed in their lives. But the coughing sound that Catra made into the bushes was repugnantly familiar, as were all the other signs. She was always different from the other cadets like that. Neither Adora nor Catra had ever seen a cat before, but if they did, they might finally recognize where most of Catra’s habits came from. 

Even when she was done, she continued to cough until finally she was able to smooth down her own fur in embarrassment, self grooming away any evidence that she wasn’t okay. She smoothed down her arm fur and pushed back her hair before she finally turned back to the room, feeling a little weak but not showing a sign of it. She was met with the uncomfortable gaze of four people. One knowing and asking  _ done? All good? _ From Adora who knew her too well. One of urgent concern from Bow. One of disgust from Glimmer who wouldn’t meet her eye, and lastly, Catra refused to look at the Queen of Bright Moon, who she had just sorely embarrassed herself in front of, in her own home. Catra cleared her throat and closed the window. Nobody was really sure what to make of what just happened or even what it was that had happened, but they had an idea. Angella was first to speak, desperate to get a word out while CAtr left the room with as much dignity as she could as fast as she could. 

“Okay, you don’t have to eat your vegetables!” She yelled apologetically down the hall. But Catra was way too embarrassed to make this a conversation, and if anyone brought it up she would be quick to deny it. In the future, she would be excused from certain vegetables that would make her sick. 

**Author's Note:**

> kudos me, subscribe for more updates, and comment with your thoughts.


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